TAG: Clean energy

Considering that the future of clean energy and sustainable living sits squarely on the shoulders of our children, it’s important to not only encourage their interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but to also put tools in their hands that can give them a taste of real-world applications. One great way to do that is by giving them a clean energy science kit, such as those offered by KidWind. From wind power projects and parts to solar and fuel cell projects, KidWind has a great selection of hands-on kits that can not only teach children the theories and science… read more

Choosing to meet at least some of your power needs with a renewable energy source is high on the list of desirable eco-actions for many of us, but the cost to get started, as well as the somewhat complex nature of installing a solar panel system can be a bit daunting. After all, not only do you need to understand your power needs, and match them to a right-sized solar array, but you’ve also got to understand about wiring and currents (your household uses AC, whereas solar panels generate DC) and energy storage options. That can be a lot to… read more

A new sort of tidal energy device that looks like an underwater kite offers the promise of clean energy generation from low-velocity currents in the ocean. Many tidal energy solutions require a location with higher velocity currents, or to be at or near the surface of the ocean, which limits their application, but the Deep Green device is said to be suitable for operating in deep waters with low velocity currents( 1-2.5 m/s), which greatly increases the number of possible locations. Combining a tethered wing and a turbine, the Minesto Deep Green device “flies” underwater, using the ocean current to… read more

Despite the ongoing debates on Capitol Hill, green job initiatives appear to be less controversial outside of Washington D.C. In recent years, green sector jobs, with an emphasis on clean tech jobs, have been praised by all parties as a solution to generating sustainable energy, as well as the source of jobs that provide living-wages for employees and their families. But ultimately, green sector growth contributes to a stronger economy. However, one must turn to the states, not the capitol, if they wish to obtain an authentic representation of the progress being made. Republican governors and mayors, especially, are more… read more

In another move toward renewable energy in its operations, Google is going to use the electricity produced from a planned 72MW wind farm in Sweden to power its data center in Finland for the next ten years. A project to develop the new wind farm, consisting of 3MW turbines, at a site in northern Sweden has just met with planning approval, and thanks to Google’s recent agreement to buy the entire output of the farm for the next 10 years, has secured all the financing necessary for construction. The wind farm is being developed by O2, and will be owned… read more

Could you walk your way to a full battery charge? If you had a pair of these insoles in your shoes, you just might be able to. Producing energy from the movement of our own body is not a new idea, as a common bicycle generator demonstrates, but adding an energy harvesting device to something we do in our daily routines, without interrupting our natural flow, has not gotten a lot of attention. But lately we’ve seen some renewed interest in it, such as the PediPower, from students at Rice University, and PaveGen floor tiles show. The latest approach is… read more

Is it possible that an Italian engineer’s cold fusion project, which has been vilified in energy and tech circles, could actually produce clean energy as claimed? Cold fusion, or Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) devices are considered by many to be the domain of scammers and hoaxers, and are claimed to be complete bunk, but that hasn’t stopped the research. In fact, cold fusion projects may be just hitting their stride, if the data from a test on an Italian cold fusion device bears out. According to various reports on the web, the operation of Andrea Rossi and Sergio Focardi’s… read more

We have a staggering amount of food waste in our modern world, and while we can all do our part to reduce that on our end, there is still quite a bit of waste in the food system at the distribution level. But one supermarket company is taking steps to close that loop a little bit, by turning their food waste into biogas to provide clean energy for its distribution center. Kroger is now using an anaerobic conversion system at its 650,000 square foot Ralphs/Food4Less Compton (California) distribution complex to convert unsold food into renewable energy, which will also greatly… read more

Australians who are curious about clean and renewable energy in their country now have an easy way to investigate the projects currently in place there, thanks to a new clean energy map. The Clean Energy Map, from the Australian government, covers over 1200 projects that cover renewable energy, energy efficiency and pollution-reduction across 16 different government initiatives. The interactive map categorizes the projects by type, and allows users to search the full map or use GPS (or their postcode) to find projects near them. “The Clean Energy Map features outcomes from measures such as the Renewable Energy Target, but also… read more

In learning to efficiently convert sunlight into electricity, we’ve got a lot to learn from plants. Our best efforts with solar panels are only yielding efficiencies of around 17%, but plants are the ultimate solar harvesters, capable of turning sunlight into energy at an efficiency rate of nearly 100%. Photosynthesis allows plants to produce almost an equal number of electrons to the amount of photons they receive, which is far and above the level of power conversion that our most efficient technologies can hit. But thanks to the work of some researchers at the University of Georgia, we may someday… read more